After Divorce

Chapter 55 The Offer to Stay 

After their confrontation, Cy aivo

abruptly realized Sylvia might truly be penniless since her and even after their divorce, she hadn’t asked for a single penny from him. In fact, his family’s near brawl over the compensation they assumed they owed to Sylvia was laughable, considering she had left empty–handed, taking nothing with her. Compared to his family’s behavior, it seemed almost ridiculous, and Cyril didn’t know how to face Sylvia anymore, knowing he might not have done anything wrong.

time

on 

me, maybe

“You can’t even articulate a response,” Sylvia sneered, “Stop talking and just stay home, will you? There’s nothing between us anymore. Instead of wasting your me, you should figure out your own issues.”

“Instead of bothering me, why not help Katrina? I hear she’s practically crawling to get on Bulk’s concert lineup. After all she’s done for you, you’re wasting energy hassling me? Seems a bit heartless, doesn’t it?” Sylvia’s comments caught Cyril off guard. He wasn’t aware that news of Bulk’s concert had reached her.

Cyril, who didn’t know Mike or his relationship with Bulk, mistakenly thought Sylvia had gotten the scoop from Katrina herself. He’d inadvertently discovered the messages Katrina kept sending to Sylvia over the years, and the photos led him to believe there was something more between them, though there wasn’t. Frustrated and unable to stand the situation any longer, Cyril walked away, and Jonathan hastily followed, without uttering a word and leaving much unsaid.

As Sylvia and Mike sat back in the peacefulness of the restaurant, Mike mused about something he’d heard: Katrina was planning to move abroad. “This must be Cyril’s way of giving her an out. Perhaps he’ll use this opportunity to negotiate terms with her. She’s staying put, after all. It sounds to me like she’s burned too many bridges domestically and her agency’s ready to drop her.”

Mike thought about Katrina’s infamy and how the agency had a notorious reputation for pressuring their talent into unsavory acts. Mike dared not share this with Sylvia for fear of how Bulk might react.

“That’s interesting,” Sylvia mused. “If she wants to stick around, let them be together. They can stay out of other people’s business.‘

Once Sylvia returned home, she found Bulk lounging, far from his superstar persona. As she dropped her bag and faced him, Bulk, avoiding eye contact, turned his back to her, signalling his desire to remain silent.

Sylvia laughed, frustrated. “Hey, listen, you don’t get to just ignore me. If you have

Chapter 55 The Offer to Stay

something to do with me, why send Mike? Why can’t you speak to me yourself?”

Bulk, visibly annoyed, finally turned around. “And you, who do you think you are? After your marriage, you cut ties with me. What makes you think you’re important enough to talk to me now?”

The tense atmosphere took them back to the argument they had three years prior, making Sylvia nearly lose it.

“Still hung up on that, are you? Yes, I messed up, but do you really have to keep bringing it up? It’s making me think my decision back then was incredibly foolish.” Her expressions shifted, eliciting a chuckle from Bulk. 

–

“Oh, now even you can’t stand the things you did back then. Look, I’m not holding it against you I’ll pin it all on Katrina. At the concert, make sure you perform well. Don’t just go off with any man who sweet–talks you. Remember, you’re the youngest daughter and the heir to the Ivans. Don’t act foolish and get lost in flattery, alright?”

Struggling with her pride, Sylvia had to admit she was in no position to argue, not with the actions of the past years under scrutiny.

“I was wrong, okay?” Sylvia said, exasperated, knowing Bulk wouldn’t let her off the hook easily once he returned.

“Sure, admitting your fault is a start. Just follow my arrangement at the concert, and I’ll forgive you. You’ll join me for a song. If you don’t show up, all bets are off.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Sylvia’s heart sank hearing Bulk’s proposition. Singing on stage with Bulk? She’d never survive being swamped by his fans.